Behind the Mask
by Yukie666
Summary: War was coming. But before the war there was times of training. Preparing oneself for the upcoming hardships. But even at times of desperation, things can go in a different direction. AU, OOC, Crack, a little sidestory to Who Says. For your enjoyment.


Disclaimer: Obviously don't own Bleach, just wrote this fic as something to clear my mind and to write something that so uncommon that it practically doesn't exist.

-----

Beyond the Mask

-----

Ichigo felt the air leave his body as he struck the rock outcropping, but this wasn't anything new to him. Growling, he pulled himself up and drew his across his face, repairing his broken hollow mask once again. Glancing at his opponent, he took in her appearance. The simple if not normal clothing, same as the uniforms most schools implemented, the braided black hair that framed a pretty face, even with the glasses. This was the girl who was going to be the death of him. He couldn't stand it, he was the man who took on the Gotei 13 to save a friend, got in a fight with a captain that was clinically insane, resulting in him getting his belly sliced open, and here he is. Getting his ass kicked by what he could only think of as a schoolgirl, a schoolgirl from the pits of hell.

His pride as male wouldn't be able to take it, even if it was just training; he was not going to lose this fight. Tightening his grip on Zangetsu, he lunged forward, swinging downwards before changing the direction of his strike blade into an upward arc that would knock her off balance, maybe even disarm her. He could see the surprise in her eyes, he was already thinking of the words he would say. He could see her twisting? Ichigo didn't even have a chance to see the swing that sent him back towards the rock that he was well acquainted with over the past few days. His mask crumbling and then the pain came…

"That's enough for today Ichigo." Lisa said softly as sheathed her zanpakuto, not even looking at him. "Once you get yourself put together, go get some rest. We'll continue this tomorrow."

Ichigo couldn't bring himself to attempt a nod. He could've sworn that his skull cracked at the impact and wasn't even sure if he could see straight enough to even nod in her direction. But this wasn't anything new to him, pretty much all in days work when training with the Vizards. He would get up; eat breakfast then train, the day usually ending in him lying unconscious or close to it. Shinji had told him that this would help in becoming acquainted with the power of his hollow side, allowing him to hold his mask for a longer period and help improve his swordsmanship. Personally, Ichigo thought that Shinji was letting the others use him as stress relief.

But being a person that preferred to not dwell on things, he just laid there and thought about what occurred. It was supposed to be a simple spar, but apparently Lisa never got the memo. He could see that he was improving, even if by a small margin. A few days prior he would not be able to even get close to her, but earlier he surprised her, a marked improvement in his book. A few more weeks of training like this and he should have no problem holding his own against the arrancar, Grimmjow specifically. Oh how he would make that bastard pay for harming his friend. A few concussions and minor skull fractures would be worth seeing the look on that prick's face when he would strike him down.

Ichigo was so deep in his musings, that he was unaware of the presence that was walking towards him…

-----

Hiyori watched as Ichigo and Lisa traded blows. Well… Ichigo attempted to, but was nowhere near a fade trade so he was slapped away like an annoying pest. This wasn't a new scene to her or the other Vizards. All of them had taken turns sparring with the orange haired Vizard, with the exception of Hachi. They needed his skills to place and keep various barriers up when some of the spars got heated. All of them could see the improvement Ichigo was making, no matter how slight. Then he hit the rock wall again, causing her to wince.

She had to admit that Lisa was a tough opponent, having sparred with her several times. Usually as training or some friendly competition, usually ending up like Ichigo at times. It amazed her how easily Lisa could go from nice if a bit weird, if her choice of reading material was brought into question, to ruthless and cold. She would never take any form of combat lightly and Ichigo's current beat down could attest to this.

Then he did something that surprised even her. He had switched the direction of his blade mid swing, taking Lisa by surprise. It may not have seemed like much, but Ichigo's fighting style was too straight forward, too predictable. Any experienced fighter could tell what he was about to do, possibly before he even knew. His body language was too easy to read. 'Though with a little bit more work…'

A voice to her side interrupted her thoughts, "That had to hurt."

Hiyori looked to her side to find Shinji looking at the approaching form of Lisa.

"Christ, Lisa doesn't know the meaning of holding her punches."

"What do you mean Shinji?" Hiyori asked, seemingly missing the ending of the fight.

"She countered Ichigo's attack with a twisting slash, but she seemed to use a bit too much power. He doesn't seem to be getting up from that last attack." Shinji said as he pointed to the unmoving form of Ichigo. "She either rattled his brain pretty bad or he didn't survive that hit."

Hiyori felt herself sigh as she looked at Ichigo. She had to admit that he impressed her with his ability to get up after a thrashing, but he should've known his limits. Especially against an opponent like Lisa…

She found herself already walking towards him with an icepack in her hand before she knew what she was doing, "I'll go check on the idiot."

As she got closer, she could see him laying there his eyes closed but his chest rising and lowering in a steady rhythm. 'Well, he's alive at least.' Closer now, she could see some red in his orange tresses. She began to walk a little bit faster when she saw this. They didn't need to go through the hassle of disposing a body and she really didn't want to see him dead, even if her attitude towards seemed to show the opposite.

Finally standing next to him, she allowed himself to get a really good look at the orange Vizard. He seemed to be unconscious but his face kept showing emotion, almost as if he was in the middle of dream. She let a small smile creep across her face when she saw the usual scowl replaced with an arrogant smirk. He reminded her of herself so much at times that it could only be thought of funny. Stifling a giggle, the result of a mental image of Ichigo dressed like her, pigtails and everything, she moved to lift up his body and see the extent of the damage.

Hiyori tsked as she saw the amount of blood leaking from Ichigo's wound, "Jeez, she got you good eh?" Hiyori didn't expect an answer; she had assumed that he was unconscious. So it was a surprise when she gasped when hazel eyes met deep brown.

-----

Ichigo was in the middle of 'Bastard's loss, third scenario' fantasy when he felt himself being sat up, and the gentle touches in his scalp, which seemed to around a gash if the sharp pain was any indication. 'Must be Mashiro or Hachi,' he thought to himself, eyes still closed. Then he heard the person speak. He recognized that voice, the accent coming with the words. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring into the face of one Hiyori Sarugaki.

Neither of them said a word to each other, preferring to just stare into each other's eyes. Ichigo noticed something peculiar about the girl. Then it hit him, she wasn't scowling. The usual scowl was replaced with a look he seemed to see often as of late. Rukia had it after his battle with Grand Fisher; Orihime had it after he had fought with Byakuya. It was the look of someone who was worried and she was worried about him; the orange haired, reckless fool that he was. Though his mind wandered, the silence the two held was quickly becoming an awkward situation, and he hated awkwardness. He had to do something to resolve this.

If you asked Ichigo years later what made him thought the next action was the right thing to do, you would get slapped upside the head and told to 'mind your own damn business.'

Ichigo looked up at the girl, before brushing one of bangs from her face. "That look doesn't suit you Hiyori-chan." Ichigo said before giving her a small smile.

He would have laughed out loud as the girl blushed and several emotions crossed her face, but when she ran off, making him lose the support that was holding his back up. He could only hiss in pain when his head struck the ground again. Once the pain lessened enough to be bearable, he pulled himself up enough that he could sit up. Then he noticed the icepack that laid next to him, seemingly forgotten. 'Hiyori must've brought it for me.' Ichigo smiled at the thought before he pressed it against his head. He let a smirk come to his face as he watched the blonde Vizard stomp away, only stopping to talk to Shinji when he asked her something. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he could see the result.

Ichigo heard himself chuckle as he watched Shinji's beating at the hands of the girl. It must've lasted over a minute, but ended with a sandal smack before Hiyori stomped off towards the stairs that led to the ground floor. He watched her climb till she was out of sight before turning to look at the man standing in front of him. For someone who just got eat up, Shinji was in a jovial mood. He even still had that creepy smile plastered on his face.

"Ya know something Ichigo? I have seen many things in my time, but seeing a flustered Hiyori would be a first. Just what did you to her? It wasn't something perverted was it? You didn't grope her did you?"

Ichigo could feel his eye begin to twitch as Shinji went into the various details of what he could have done to Hiyori. Never mind the fact that both were in open view and Shinji had probably watched the whole ordeal.

Shinji just continued his rant, getting lewder by the minute. He was practically doing obscene gestures, not noticing the rising spirit pressure next to him or the blade heading towards his head…

-----

Hiyori stomped towards the living area, ignoring Love and the others. She didn't feel like talking and she just knew her blush was still present. She didn't need the teasing that was sure to come. Ignoring the ever chipper Mashiro, she took a seat and picked up one of books that Lisa must've bought. At least this one didn't seem to be one of her hentai mangas. Only thing the cover had was the simple title, 'A Strawberry in Bloom'. Letting her mind wander to thoughts of Ichigo's touch and smile, she opened to a random a random page… and almost swallowed her tongue.

The book wasn't a manga at all. It seemed to be a collection of drawings of a young man with spiky hair, all in various stages of undress. There was no dialogue, just page after page of artwork. She was about to toss the thing back in the pile when she noticed something strange about the pictures. They were all the same person, a young man whose body was covered in various scars; some of them seemed familiar to her. Almost as if she had seen them before… then it clicked. She had seen them before.

Flipping through the pages she looked for a picture that would show the man's face. Then she found one. The picture was taken as if the artist was standing behind the figure; the scene taking place in what she assumed was a locker room. The face was twisted into an easily recognizable scowl…

"Ichigo?" She whispered to herself.

"I see you found my latest purchase." A voice to her side said.

Hiyori looked to find Lisa staring at her.

"Urahara gave it to me, said it seemed to be popular with the local girls. Don't see why though, it's just pictures of some naked guy that had been in a lot of fights."

Hiyori could only stare at Lisa in disbelief.

"Um… Lisa? Didn't you notice anything strange about these pictures at all?"

"Nope. Why? Does Lil' Hiyori see something she likes?"

She was about to deny any and everything but the sound of door being kicked open interrupted her as well the unconscious body that was flopped in front of their feet like a fresh caught fish. They turned to the one who threw Shinji, both prepared to attack the person who managed to take down their unofficial leader. But when they saw Ichigo standing there, scowl in place, they relaxed. It was obvious that Shinji had said or did something to piss off Ichigo.

"Shinji needed a nap." Ichigo said as he placed Zangetsu on his back, before tossing something at Hiyori and walking out of the room. "Thanks Hiyori-chan."

The girl in question caught the object in midair, realizing it was the icepack she had brought to Ichigo. Then she realized what he had called her again, causing her to blush inadvertently.

"My my, seems someone who has a crush…" Lisa said in a sing song voice as she smiled at Hiyori.

"I don't have a crush…" Hiyori growled out, her embarrassment growing by the second.

"Your blush tells me otherwise…"

"Goddamn it, I don't have a crush Lisa!"

"Who has a crush?" Mashiro asked as she walked between the two.

"It seems out little Hiyori wants to a strawberry sundae." Lisa said, giving an all too sweet smile at the glaring Hiyori.

The innuendo, no matter how corny it was, was completely lost on Mashiro.

"Uwah…" Mashiro looked at Hiyori with stars in her eyes, "You like strawberry sundaes too? They're so delicious, and then you have the strawberry syrup. You could put it on anything and it would be so tasty…" Hiyori's blush deepened as a lurid thought came to mind, which didn't go unnoticed by the other two girls.

"Eh? Hiyori why are you blushing? Strawberry sundaes are good, but not enough to blush over."

"I don't think you got the meaning of what I said earlier Mashiro." Lisa said as she adjusted her glasses.

"What? You said something about sundaes. What else could you have meant?"

"Well…"

Hiyori had to interrupt before the situation went from bad to worse. "You tell her anything and I'll skin you alive…" She left the threat hanging, but Lisa continued as if nothing was said.

"Hiyori like a certain orange haired someone…"

"Like that big chested girl who came here the other day that Hachi talked to?"

"…"

"…"

Lisa and Hiyori could only stare at Mashiro. No one in the history of the world could be that stupid…

"Wait a minute…" Mashiro placed a finger under her chin in thought, "But big chest is a girl, that can't be right…" Lisa was beginning to smile as she thought Mashiro finally understood what she was getting at. "Unless Hiyori is a lesbian!"

Hiyori had to be held back by Lisa as she attempted to throttle Mashiro. It was bad enough that Lisa was accusing her of having a crush on Ichigo, but when Mashiro called her a lesbian… that was the final straw. But her revenge would have to wait. The fourth person was finally awake and had his creepy grin in place.

"So Hiyori…" Shinji said as he picked himself up off the floor, "Never took you for a lezzy. Make sense though, I mean the jogging uniform and your personality…"

Shinji never had a chance to finish what he was about to say before Hiyori drop kicked him in the face. Sending him flying into the wall and storming out of the room. Leaving him at the mercy of Lisa's snickering and Mashiro's poking.

"I think she killed him." Mashiro said as she poked Shinji's unconscious body.

"Serve's him right. To taunt a girl who is in love."

"Who's in love?"

Lisa could only shake her head in disbelief as she stared at Mashiro.

"Mashiro, you're hopeless."

-----

Ichigo groaned in pleasure as he felt the water fall over his body. He had made it a habit to get cleaned up after training. Rukia had explained to him before that any damage that happened while he was in his spirit form would transfer to his living body. He didn't know exactly why it worked like that, but it happened. Who was to question the unimportant details?

Rubbing a towel along his body to sop off some of the water, he realized he didn't bring a change of clothes, not even a fresh pair of boxers. Just as injuries transferred from spirit to living, exertion did as well. Meaning all of his clothing was soaked in sweat and the thought of putting sweat soaked boxers wasn't a pleasant thought. He could try to sneak to his temporary quarters, but with that, there would be a chance of someone seeing him. He wasn't worried about one of the guys finding him in such a state, but if the girls found him… No, that was something he didn't want to think about. He could imagine the beating, teasing, or combination of the two that would come.

Wrapping his towel around his waist, he was disappointed to find that it wouldn't go around him completely. Cursing whoever decided to buy such small towels, most likely Shinji's fault, he knotted it so it shouldn't fall off at an inopportune time. With that done, he channeled his inner Solid Snake and opened the door…

-----

Hiyori grumbled to herself as she headed towards her room. Of all the things that could embarrass her, the situation that had happened moments ago was the worst. She could handle comments about her stature and attitude, even those about her personality. But to be teased about her having a crush, then being called a lesbian. That was almost enough embarrassment to make he want to fade into nothingness. But there was no point beating herself up over it. What's done is done and all that jazz. What she needed right now was a long nap.

Walking through the hall that led to everyone's rooms, she sensed something was off. Reaching over her shoulder, she drew her blade as instinct took over. Stepping lightly, she advanced slowly; she passed the bathroom door which began to open slowly. Acting before thinking, stopping herself from almost castrating the person behind her. She looked at the naked torso before trailing her eyes to the face of the person she almost killed, finding Ichigo staring at her with wide eyes and pale face.

"Um…Hiyori?" Ichigo started in a low and slow tone; he really didn't want to be a eunuch and was wary of startling her. "Could you please remove your zanpakuto? It's kinda close to something that's really important to me…"

Hiyori just raised an eyebrow in questioning before understanding came over her face, along with a blush. Withdrawing her blade from its position she loosed a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry."

Ichigo nodded, wiping a bit a sweat from his brow. "It's okay, don't think you damaged anything."

Silenced followed as the awkwardness finally settled in. Ichigo was standing in the presence of a girl, a thin piece of cloth covering his modesty, averting his eyes so he couldn't see her face. Hiyori was no better, she tried to look at everywhere but the young man in front of her, but she could still see him in the edge of her vision. Unconsciously her eyes trailed down his chest, impressed with the scars that were present, before trailing lower to his loins, slightly disappointed that the towel was still present.

Ichigo was well aware that she was staring at him now. He could feel her eyes on him, trailing lower and lower. When he felt them stop, he wasn't sure what he wanted to tease her or just get her attention. The thought of subtlety flexing his stomach crossed his mind for a second, dashed at the reaction he would probably get. The girl was still armed after all. Letting the silence carry for a little while longer, getting it nice and awkward before he coughed into his hand, drawing her eyes to his face.

"I should probably head to my room and get dressed. I'm sure Hachi will send someone to get me when dinner is ready."

Hiyori just stared at him, "Yeah…"

"Okay then, I guess I'll be going now…"

Neither of them attempted to be the first to move. It was if they decided to start a staring contest with one another. This continued for at least a minute before Ichigo remembered his state of dress. Mentally scolding himself for his own stupidity, he turned and made way for his room.

Hiyori watched him walk for a few paces before turning around before spinning around at the sound of a whispered curse. She almost laughed out loud at the sight of Ichigo struggling to keep his poor excuse of a towel wrapped around his waist, unknowingly flashing his naked rear at the girl. She had to admit he was a good looking guy, even with that dimple…

-----

Dinner that night was a strange affair that night. Hachi had went out and picked up some Chinese takeout with Mashiro, coming back with several bags, the girl bringing back what appeared to be ice cream and several other articles of food before darting to the freezer. Once that was done she rejoined Hachi at the table, helping the large man place the various containers on the table in a slightly organized array. Once finished, she took her seat next to Hachi, leaving the others to their own.

All of them sat together in their little cliques with the exception of Shinji. He had decided to sit next to Lisa, giving her a knowing look and a wink to the spectacled girl that she returned, leaving the only open seat next to Ichigo. Hiyori wasn't stupid, she knew what Shinji was doing with Lisa and hadn't missed the little look the two shared with each other, Ichigo on the other hand was oblivious to it all. He was just hungry and was practically drooling at the sight of the food, MSG be damned!

With a quick utterance of 'itadakimisu', everyone began to eat. Love was currently fighting with Kensei over eggrolls while Rose watched in amusement. Mashiro was currently picking a little bit of everything, even going so far to steal some food from Love's plate. While Hachi calmly placed rice and beef stir-fry on his own. Shinji and Lisa grabbed several containers which they divided amongst themselves, leaving only two containers within reach of Hiyori and Ichigo.

And like many sappy romances, the two reached for the same thing at the same time. Their hands brushing against one another's, and yet while there was some blushing on Hiyori's part, this quickly branched off from a typical romantic scenario. Ichigo hadn't moved his hand and neither did Hiyori. Both were hungry as well as stubborn. Hiyori leveled her gaze at Ichigo; her cheeks still stained a light pink, and raised an eyebrow in silent challenge.

Ichigo didn't need to be a genius to understand that gesture. It was a challenge of who would remove their hand first, deciding who would get the first and largest helping. He could smell the oil that whatever was in the container was fried in. That was the clincher for him; whatever was in the box was obviously battered and hence fried. It was obviously going to be delicious, as was anything within reason was when dipped in batter and fried. He was also a man, and quite partial to fried foods. Raising his own eyebrow as signal that he had accepted the challenge.

And that leaves us to where we find them now. Glaring at each other to the point the others were expecting to hear growls, Ichigo's hand over Hiyori's; both covering the top of a paper takeout box. The others had long settled who had what and were now happily eating and engaging in conversation aside from Shinji and Lisa. Those two were just eating and watching the Hiyori/Ichigo situation, the former smiling while the latter had a small smirk on her face. This had continued for several minutes, neither relinquishing their hold. This was serious; a matter of life and death, food was on the line!

"Isn't that cute," Mashiro spoke in her usual delighted tone. "Beri-tan and Hiyori are holding hands!"

This had the reaction of all the others turning to the dueling pair; resulting in Hiyori's lightly present blush deepening to the point that her freckles were no longer visible. Ichigo fared no better. While his blush wasn't as deep it was still apparent. Deciding embarrassment was worse than the loss of the food, he removed his hand. He was surprised when she didn't drag the container to herself, withdrawing her own hand to her chest. His vision climbed up, leveling his gaze with hers. Allowing himself a small smile that she returned.

Neither took notice of the knowing smiles that came on all the faces, minus Mashiro's. All of them could sense something developing between the two, even if those two could not, and they were not going to do something to hamper it. While they had a rough idea of Ichigo's history, they have known Hiyori for a much longer time and knew certain things she needed that even she didn't know about. Yet they held their tongues, smiling at the scene that unfolded before them. Hiyori had finally got around to dealing with the food, dividing it evenly between Ichigo and herself. All of grinned at the domesticated feeling of the action gave off, Love giving a simple 'aw' that was silenced by a none too gentle blow the rubs, courtesy of Kensei.

The rest of the dinner was silent aside from the sounds of chewing and clattering of dinnerware. Hiyori ate in silence, occasionally giving Ichigo a glance between bites, sometimes meeting Ichigo's own, before both averted their eyes and continued eating. It wasn't long till everyone was finished, some patting their full bellies, when Mashiro felt the need to break the silence.

"Oi! There better be room in your tummy Hiyori, because I bought the stuff to make your favorite dessert with extra for everyone else."

'She can't possibly mean what I think she does right?' Hiyori thought to herself as she watched the other girl bounce into the kitchen.

Ichigo just looked at everybody else, confusion clearly on his face. He could see that Hiyori was embarrassed but the reason why was yet a mystery. He thought of asking one of the others what Mashiro meant, but the girl in question returned with a tray laden in frozen desserts.

Mashiro walked around the table, placing a dish of ice cream with toppings in front of the others, stopping at Hiyori, placing a dish while giving the blonde girl a wink before returning to own seat.

"Dig in guys!"

All of them stared at the ice cream, strawberry sundaes to be precise, before beginning to eat. None of them knew what why Mashiro made them, they had knew the girl liked them a bit more than normal, but she wasn't one to share when it came to sweets. Finally one of the unknowing ones had to ask the question that was plaguing their minds.

"Why strawberry sundaes?" Love asked as he shoveled it into his mouth.

Mashiro just looked up, spoon hanging from her lip. "Lisa said that Hiyori wanted a strawberry sundae earlier, so I decided to get the stuff to make them. Even went as far as buying extra syrup so Lisa can put it on other things."

None of them missed the sound of Hiyori sucking in air as she tried to make herself appear smaller. Nor the sound of Shinji's snickering. The others including Ichigo seemed to be out of the loop, but who cares? They had delicious frozen treats!

-----

Ichigo sighed as he laid in his bed; thinking about all the weirdness the day has given him so far and all of it had began right after the spar with Lisa. The way everything went down seemed like it was orchestrated by some higher power; a higher power with a strange imagination. He had to admit the change in Hiyori's mannerisms was refreshing if a little awkward at times. She had reminded him of Tatsuki, with a little bit of Karin mixed in with a dash of himself. An interesting if a bit strange combination if he thought so himself.

As he laid there, he thought more about the blonde girl. He didn't really know her, but he had gotten bits and pieces from the others. He was told by Rose that she took as long to subdue her inner hollow as he did, adding another notch in the post of how they were alike. But she was strange in her own ways, he didn't know how, but when he was fighting in his inner world, he knew she was watching him. It comforted him in some way, even if he didn't know why, but the feeling was there and that was all that mattered.

With that thought in mind as well as the previous one, he had a new goal to add to his present ones. He was going to get to know Hiyori better.

-----

Hiyori lied in bed, going over what had happened over the day. It started as a typical day for them. Get up, eat breakfast, watch Ichigo get the stuffing knocked out of him; all in all, a normal day. It was after the beating that things took a turn to the strange side. Beginning with the use of a simple honorific.

No one had ever called her Hiyori-chan, except her Captain when she was still a regular Shinigami. It wasn't like the others tried, but she always answered back with either yelling or a beating. It was something that tied with pleasant memories. Having something like that uttered by Shinji just felt wrong, like it was sullying the memories or something. 'But why don't I feel that way when Ichigo says it, even worse why do I blush when he calls me that? It's not like I care for him? Right?'

Hiyori tried to think of what it would be like to be with Ichigo, but couldn't do it. The image of being all lovey dovey with Ichigo just felt wrong, she couldn't even picture Ichigo acting like the stereotypical boyfriends like those in the mangas she had seen Mashiro reading. Ichigo just didn't seem to be the sensitive type. He was one to always keep the tough face on, seemingly never smiling, 'except at me', yet he had a dedication most lacked. He came to them to subdue his hollow to protect his friends. His will to protect his friends was the source of his determination and this fact was what impressed Hiyori the most. He didn't want glory, he didn't want to be powerful, he just wanted to help everyone.

Letting a smile creep across her face, she rolled over and sighed. Ichigo was one worth watching, worth getting to know. Who knows, maybe just maybe, she could see herself getting closer to the guy.

-----

The next morning found Ichigo waking from a night of dreams, strange dreams. He couldn't remember what they entailed when he woke, but they must've been pleasant if his little friend was any sign to go by. Ignoring the rod of flesh that seemed to have a mind of his own, he dressed himself and head to the bathroom to freshen up before he went on a search for sustenance.

Getting the morning routine out of the way, he headed to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Surprised to find Hachi already there, working the coffee pot.

"Morning Ichigo," the large man said as he worked the pot.

"Mornin Hachi," Ichigo yawned out as he searched through the cupboards for something edible, mildly surprised when he saw a box of raisin bran hidden behind boxes of sweetened cereal.

After fixing himself a bowl, he sat and prepared to eat before sensing that something was off. He looked around for a moment trying to place what was wrong. Glancing down at himself he began going through his mental checklist, 'pants? Check'. He could see that he was properly clothed, so that couldn't be it. It had to be something small, something he was overlooking. Then it hit him, he didn't have his coffee. He was about to get up, but something hot was pressed into his hand. Seeing the cup of coffee in his hand, he turned to Hachi and gave him a wide smile.

"Hachi, if you were a woman, I'd have to kiss you."

The large man chuckled before going about his business, leaving Ichigo alone in the kitchen. Ichigo just hummed to himself as he added the necessary condiments to turn a bitter drink into the nectar of the gods, meaning he added enough sugar and milk to make it palatable to even a toddler. He smiled as brought the sugary concoction to his lips; he could picture the looks of his family as he did this every morning. Karin and Yuzu would be looking at him in mild disgust at the amount of sugar he added while his father cried about 'crimes against coffee beans', but what did they know? They didn't know the heaven that was this drink.

So enraptured in his thoughts he was, that he didn't even notice the presence of a squinting Hiyori. Who idly scanned the kitchen in search of sustenance before zeroing in on his coffee mug. He did notice the slight movement of air and the fact he was currently lifting an empty hand to his lips. Seeing that his precious was gone, he glared at the perpetrator, mildly surprised to see the sleepy form of Hiyori standing next to him, sniffing the contents of his mug wearingly before downing it in one gulp. Ichigo watched in horror as the blonde girl tilted the mug up, shaking it to get the last drop, ignoring his presence completely.

"Good coffee," was all she said before taking a seat next to him and claiming his cereal for herself.

Ichigo just stood there in a stupor trying to comprehend how this blonde midget could just come in and steal his breakfast. It had to be a crime damn it, even if the criminal was cute. So taken with the inhumanity of the situation, it never occurred to him that he just called Hiyori cute, even mentally, as he watched her devour his poor cereal like a ravenous animal.

"More"

"Huh?" Ichigo was pulled from his stupor as a mug and empty bowl was jammed under his nose.

"More…" Hiyori growled out threateningly though the effect was lost to the fact she had a raisin stuck to her cheek.

"Do I look like your damn keeper?" Ichigo asked, trying his damndest to ignore the misplaced fruit.

Hiyori just glared at him in contempt. She didn't want to admit it, but Ichigo made the best damn cup of coffee ever but he didn't seem to be falling for her aggressive ordering. Now in a normal situation she would have pressed her demands with a well placed sandal smack but this was Ichigo, she was trying to get to know him better and while violence was a great form of communication, it was not suitable for positive. So she was stuck in a conundrum, she couldn't force Ichigo physically but she was still hungry.

She needed to do something that would manipulate him into doing her will, but what could she do? Then it hit her, she would channel a bit of Mashiro. That girl knew exactly what to do in a situation like this. So wouldn't it be only right to take a page from her book? So without further adieu, Hiyori put her plan into action. It started with the minor manipulations of her facial muscles around her mouth, jutting her lips into a pout, followed by a widening of her eyes and giving them a glassy look. Now she had to wait…

Ichigo just watched as Hiyori went into 'doe eyed pout' mode. He being the older sibling to two young girls and several female friends had given him plenty of experience with that look. It meant that the girl next to him was trying to manipulate him into doing her bidding. Now one would think that being exposed to the 'look' almost daily would allow Ichigo to build immunity to its powers and you would be right, but you forgot a variable. The one giving the 'look' had something the others lacked; she had the 'fang' and adding the 'fang' to the 'look' made a combination of pure adorableness that made the most stubborn of men into the most pliable of servants, meaning Ichigo was up pouring another bowl as well as another cup of coffee before he knew what he was doing.

It didn't register to him that he had done her bidding before he was sitting at the table, working his magic with the coffee, while Hiyori was happily munching away at her cereal. He tried to ignore the voice from his hollow as it teased him, preferring to focus on the task at hand. Seeing his work was done, Ichigo glanced at the girl next to him who was drinking the milk from the bowl, giving him an opportunity to get at least a sip of his coffee before the pygmy took it for herself.

He barely got the cup to his lips, letting a minute amount of liquid hit his taste buds before he felt her glare upon him. Savoring the taste, he leveled his own.

"What?"

Hiyori just stared at him, already preparing to implement the 'look again if Ichigo didn't relinquish the mug, but the boy was unrelenting.

"Listen squirt," Ichigo began, already seeing the signs of the 'look', "You took my cereal, but I can let that slide, you have taken my first cup of coffee, but can you at least let me have this one?"

The 'look' was back in full force, and Ichigo was once again doing her bidding. Finally sick of having his breakfast stolen, he got up and headed towards the stairwell that led to the training area. Once there, with the quick press of his representative badge, he was in his spirit form. Seeing that he was the only one down there, he figured the only thing he could accomplish was practicing some katas and hopefully get to the point that the practiced movements would become second nature.

What he didn't count on was the blonde pygmy following him down and now watching his movements. She watched as Ichigo followed through with a basic kendo kata, but his form was rough and tense. 'Well that won't do. The way he's going he'll end up pulling a muscle.'

"Hey strawberry!" Hiyori yelled, trying to pull his focus away from what he was doing and placing it on her.

Ichigo growled when he heard the nickname that was the bane of his existence. "What?!"

"Come over here for a minute."

"Why…?" Ichigo asked, not trusting her for a second.

"Just get the hell over here before I come over there and you _really_ won't like it if I have to come over there!"

Ichigo could almost see the flames of hell dance behind the blond girl's eyes, and his experience with Rukia had given him time to understand that pain can come in small packages. So being the type of person that really approved of self preservation, he quickly walked (ran) to where Hiyori stood.

"Okay I'm here, what'd you need?"

Casting an appraising eye on the teen in front of her, she began to think of how she wanted to go about this, leaving Ichigo to stand there like an idiot. Mentally chuckling at Ichigo's face, her idea came to fruition.

"Get into fighting position!" She barked as Ichigo quickly got into his usual form.

Hiyori walked around him and examined his form, making odd noises as she paced, further worrying Ichigo.

"Your form sucks!" She stated, before walking behind him, leaving the orange haired boy in the dark of what she planned to do.

Ichigo tried to keep his posture straight, he was at the hands of a merciless, if pint sized, being and any sign of nervousness could be taken as fear. He didn't want the girl to know that he was slightly scared of her possible future actions. He almost let out a girlish squeal when he felt hands on his shoulders.

Hiyori smirked as she felt Ichigo tense under her touch. That was the problem; he was too stiff, too tense. Every movement, every nuance of swordplay should be a dance, flowing like water. Add the fact that his added stiffness was telegraphing his next move… it was time to fix that problem…

As Hiyori thought to herself on ways of improving Ichigo, for battle and other possibly non violent ways, Ichigo found himself at a crossroads. Before him laid to choices on how to handle the current situation and now was at war with two aspects of himself. The one aspect, the survival aspect every being had was screaming for him to get away from the blonde. The foreign sensations were new to him and while pleasurable, it wasn't the norm. The other side of him was telling him to forget rhyme and reason to go with the flow. If a few movements with her hands could invoke these sensations, imagine what the other parts of her could do…

-----

Inner world…

Two figures sat in silence, a pile of cards before them. Neither moved as both plotted their next action. Finally words were spoken.

"You have any twos?"

"Go fish."

Hichigo could only swear as he drew a card from the pile, before glancing to the motionless clouds above.

"You know it's been boring without the king around."

Zangetsu just grunted as he peered over his cards.

"You have any kings?"

Hichigo just tossed a card from his hand before going back to his observations. Things been boring as hell as of late, leaving to different sides of the coin with nothing to do but play cards. Where the old man had actually gotten a deck was a mystery to the spiritual being but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Anything that could break the monotony of situation was welcome.

So when a warm breeze blew both looked at each other over the strange occurrence.

"Since when was there wind here?" Hichigo had to ask the obvious question.

"Something must be going on outside."

"Like a fight?" Hichigo asked, hope evident in his voice.

"Would be a stronger breeze, be colder too. This is a warm breeze."

"Meaning…"

"Something must be putting Ichigo into good spirits."

"Maybe he's getting lucky…"

Both figures went silent with that comment, before dashing off to find a way to view the outside world. After all, Ichigo's inner world was quite the boring place.

-----

Hiyori grinned as she felt Ichigo become loose under her ministrations. Loose muscle led to a loose form. Loose form led to better fighting condition. Better fighting condition led to Ichigo being of some use in a battle. Maybe just maybe he'd be able to improve today, even to the point of being a challenge.

Ichigo was almost at the point of being no more than a pile of congealed jelly as Hiyori's fingers worked on muscles he didn't know existed. Whatever she was doing was working miracles, but as soon as it was really getting good, the pleasurable sensations stopped. Forcing the orange haired youth to almost pout as he turned around to see what was the matter.

Only to be greeted with a familiar horned mask, a pair of yellow eyes staring back at him.

"You up for a spar berry boy?"

The idea of saying didn't no didn't even come to him as he nodded.

'Maybe some things aren't so different after all.'

-----

Omake:

The young woman just smiled as she paid for her purchase before leaving the store, a lightly dusting of red coloring her cheeks as she clutched her purchase to her chest.

"Thank you for the business, please come again."

Urahara just smiled and waved his fan at the young woman who left his store. Today was another day of much money making and other pleasantries. His place of business was showing a profit not seen in over fifty years and he had one person to thank for all of it. Though he was beginning to wonder a bit about his young ward, but the thoughts of the money he was raking in made up for it.

So closing his fan with an audible snap he began to take inventory. Everything he normally sold was well in stock, something he was thankful for. But as he passed a seemingly normal magazine rack he noticed a knot in his system. The slot that normally held his original printings of 'A Strawberry in Bloom' was empty; this would not do…

Turning on his heel, he walked to the back of his shop, past the living quarters and various storerooms, only stopping in front of the small washroom he had. Tucking his fan away in one of the countless pockets that he had had, he rapped his cane three times on the floor, revealing a small passage that led to the bowels of his store. Looking to a fro for signs of anyone possibly spying him, he descended.

As he walked down the dimly lit stairway, he could hear the sounds of machinery. The grinding of gears, the whine of bearing that were in badly need of lubrication, they were music to him. That and the source of his store's greatly rising profits. Soon he could see the bottom of the stairs as well as the expansive room that shouldn't possibly be under the unremarkable store.

Urahara couldn't help but smile at his latest investment. Many have called him many things, like mad, eccentric, or just the old standby 'he be nuttier than a shithouse rat'. But none of them saw his genius. Resting his palm over old iron, he beheld the greatness that was an old newspaper press. The thing had truly been a thing of beauty, the top model for its time in both efficiency and production. Too bad it's time passed almost a century ago. But something like that wasn't going to stop him; after all he had a great fondness for human ingenuity.

So with some work and a few modifications and he had the thing fitted for his purposes. Originally he bought it so he could forgo the cost of outside printers when it came time to advertise, but now it was made into a thing that spread greatness. And it was all thanks to his favorite worker. Smiling lightly to himself he passed Tessai, the large man straining to turn a crank that forced the rollers to move. Tessai gave a grin as Urahara passed which he returned as he continued on his path.

Moving down towards the end of the machine he found himself staring at an enigma as it ran past him. It looked like Jinta in shape, but it was almost completely covered in black and leaving footprints on the ground and puddles of ink. But it wasn't anything to worry about, ink could be washed away and he was sure it wouldn't have a lasting effect on the boy's skin and hair. There were other things that needed his attention at the moment.

And there she was, his little diamond in the rough. Working diligently on another drawing; her pencil dancing across the paper as she worked to put her thoughts into material form. She didn't even notice Urahara till he placed his hand on her shoulder. He just smiled as Ururu looked up from her work, another sketch of Ichigo the eccentric man noted.

"Can I help you sir?" the young girl asked in her usual soft monotone.

Rubbing her head in what could only be praise, he turned to her drawings. He scanned the various bits of papers with a critical eye, already visualizing the profits he would be reaping when they were going to be put into print. Ururu was a genius when it came to visualizing the thoughts that ran through her head. After all he knew the power a crush could have for a young girl. Now if he could figure out how the hell she could make these pictures so realistic, even down to the pattern of scars that littered Ichigo's torso. But those were thoughts for another day; he just came here to pick up a fresh batch of product before the afternoon rush came.

As he turned, Urahara didn't notice the myriad of thoughts that plagued Ururu's mind. She didn't want her crush to be known. It wasn't like anything would have come from it; she was too young for a man like Ichigo and she wasn't blind to the way the other girls around him stared when he wasn't looking. So she turned to another outlet to work out her frustrations, and it turned out to be the smartest idea she ever had. She didn't know exactly how it seemed to work out but she could draw.

Visions of Ichigo in various scenarios were the things she transcribed to paper. Things like the way exertion made itself known to him in ways only a girl could dream. The way he acted when he was surrounded by his friends. Even the way he acted in a locker room. And all of these were drawn to seem like they were taken from a third person perspective, making it seem like the reader was the person watching him. But these weren't meant to be viewed by anyone other than herself, and then Jinta had to find her sketchbook and show it to Urahara, probably use it to try and tease her.

But it seemed to backfire. Urahara had just looked through it much to Ururu's dismay. The look on his face would haunt her dreams. It wasn't a look of disappointment, or even anger. It was the odd gleam that came to man's eye. Ururu recognized it for what it was; it was the sign of the gears working in blonde's head as he thought of ways to turn a profit. Which lead to where she was now.

Sitting in a room; the sounds of the press wearing on her nerves minute after minute; the scent of the viscous inks assaulting her nose as she was forced to let her daydreams be made public. But she smiled as she worked, pasting an 'oh so innocent' smile, biding her time till it came time for a bit of revenge. And wouldn't you know... there was Jinta sprinting in back and forth in front of her, two large buckets of pigment in a yolk across his shoulders. That was dangerous, especially if you didn't watch where your feet was…

Urahara had grabbed four bundles of prints when he heard the yell. He didn't even have the time to completely turn around when he felt something slam into him. Even as he felt the air rush out of his lungs, he had the sense to toss the bundles out of harm's way as something in his told him the worse had yet to come. And he couldn't even have been more right. In the air above him and the mass of black that could be only Jinta, were the two pails of ink. Dancing like song birds in spring, before dumping their contents.

Ururu turned fast as she heard Urahara's yelp, but not before picking up her pencil that had somehow rolled off her desk into Jinta's path. Taking her place back at the desk she allowed herself a small smile, not an innocent one, but rather a one of deviousness. One that would have made Yoruichi proud.

'Paybacks a bitch.'

A/N: Meh, people will probably be after my head when they get the author alert, expecting a new chapter of Hell Hath or Who Says. But all is not lost! Well maybe, I don't know anymore. Either way I posted a new story, most likely the second of its kind on this site with hopefully others following its suit. Not sure how I want to play this one out, thinking of it as either an offshoot of Who Says, maybe a pseudo prequel. One thing I know is its going to have some elements of Who Says with a possibility of a full tie in. Just not sure how I want to go with this quite yet. No rants at the moment, everything is going well on my end of the things, spring is coming, the snows melting. All and all everything's good. As always please read and review. Until later folks.


End file.
